


Breakfast and Winter

by kailogan



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Clairvoyance, Ice/Snow Manipulation, Magical Realism, Plant Manipulation, Reality manipulation, Shapeshifting, Some Swearing, Telepathy/Telekinesis, Witches, donghyuck being a little shit, renjun being a soft lad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 14:10:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13953252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kailogan/pseuds/kailogan
Summary: Mark was seriously beginning to rethink the whole “having friends” and “living with housemates” thing he’d been doing for the last few years.Alternatively, Mark is struggling to deal with six magical children but he wouldn't trade them for the world.





	Breakfast and Winter

**Author's Note:**

> lisa (@rxjuns) put the idea of witch dreamies in my head this happened, i'm so sorry 
> 
> check out her blog if you like to suffer like i do :)

Mark was seriously beginning to rethink the whole “having friends” and “living with housemates” thing he’d been doing for the last few years. Surely, this wasn’t how anyone should feel on a daily basis. Did other people really survive with this amount of existential dread and annoyance pounding through their brains at any given moment of the day? No, Mark was pretty sure they didn’t. Because Mark had something they didn’t. Mark had Lee Donghyuck (and several other magical children) as his flatmate(s). 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Mark lamented, clothes covered with milk and ego severely bruised. Donghyuck didn’t respond, simply lifting his glamour to reveal himself laughing hysterically at Mark’s misfortune. Honestly, Mark was at a loss as to why his pain seemed to be one of the only things that continued to amuse Donghyuck even after experiencing it more than three times. The boy had a shorter attention span than most goldfish, but it seemed that teasing Mark was an activity he could never tire of. 

“Do I have to summon a goddamn demon and sell my soul to get some peace and quiet! All I wanted was to eat my cereal.” Mark tried to maintain a reasonable level of anger and annoyance throughout his speech. Unfortunately, Donghyuck had long ago extinguished any fire that might burn in Mark’s chest and his words trailed off at the end, wistfully. Mark looked down and saw that his bowl had not smashed when he’d dropped it. It had become a regular pastime in the house the last few weeks, Donghyuck (and sometimes Jisung or Chenle) using some trick to spook him and ruin his breakfast. Mark wouldn’t be surprised if he experienced a heart attack before he even hit twenty-five at this rate. 

_Oh my god, the look on his face, no need to cry over split milk, haha fuck, I’m literally the funniest person alive…_

“Shut up, I can hear that you know?” Mark snapped. “And you’re not that funny, chill.” 

Mark hastily willed the bowl and spoon up from the floor, floating the kitchenware into the sink. He devoted a small amount of focus to pulling out a cloth from the cupboard and beginning to clean up the splattered cereal, whilst keeping the other 99% of his brain’s power on trying to burn lazer beams into Donghyuck’s, still laughing, form. 

“I’m totally funny,” he protested, beaming brightly as he caught his breath and looking at Mark with a honey eyed expression. Mark commended the boy for his talents. Donghyuck’s face was glowing, sparkling with sweetness as if to say ‘I’m just a sweet lil thing who could do no wrong. Aren’t I just an angel?’. Mark vowed to himself that he wouldn’t let it slide. Taeyong had been telling him, if he ever wanted to have an easier life (that was, if he didn’t take Johnny’s advice and leave in the middle of the night and leave his best friends of many years to begin his new life) then he had to start standing up for himself. He had been too easy on the others, Taeyong said, he had let them think he was a pushover (and yeah, he might be a pushover but they shouldn’t know that). 

So, he was determined this time to make Donghyuck regret crossing him that morning. He didn’t get the chance before they were interrupted by an almighty crash (followed by a loud curse and the crackling smell of magic) from beyond the kitchen door. The high-pitched sound of Chenle’s laugh filled the air and Mark could hear the creaking of wood as Renjun began panicking in rapid-fire chinese. 

“This should be good,” Donghyuck rejoiced, face lighting up at the thought of more havoc being caused. Mark was pretty sure that Donghyuck was still sending prayers and offerings to Eris whenever he was beginning to get bored. It would certainly explain the discord and chaos that seemed daily in Mark’s life. 

Sighing, Mark made his way into the hallway, only to witness a sight that no person should have to see. He tried desperately to contain a whimper as he was met with the destruction of his living room. 

The wall to the bathroom was nearly knocked down completely, shards of plastered wallpaper and rubble littering the floor. Dust was filling the room, making it hard to see and they had to wait a few moments for it to settle before Mark saw the most likely cause of the damage. 

Jaemin was lying on the floor in the centre of the room, cradling his arm and swearing loudly. Mark looked to the left to see Chenle bouncing excitedly and Renjun cradling his head in his hands. 

“What did you do?” he demanded, dejectedly. 

“I dared him to turn into an elephant!” Chenle answered proudly and Mark tried desperately to ignore the thumbs up of approval that Donghyuck shot the boy in response. 

“It was horrible,” Renjun lamented. “He kept growing and I could see the floor cracking…” his words died in his throat, face twisted in worry. Out of the corner of his eye, Mark could see a green movement. When looking closer he soon realised the cause of Renjun’s distress. The four flower pots that had stood on the window sill were smashed. Roots, vines and leaves were twisting and curling themselves throughout the wreckage even as they spoke. 

“Hey, hey,” Mark spoke quietly, rubbing at Renjun’s side. “It’s okay, just calm down, everyone is okay, yeah?”

“I’m good!” called Jaemin. “I might have broken my arm but alas, I live and breathe.” 

Renjun glared at Jaemin and the shapeshifter yelped as one of the vines shot toward him wacking him on the shoulder. Mark figured that would be good enough to stop their flat from turning into an urban rainforest (again) and quickly turned his attention to Chenle. 

“Hope you've got a spare few hours,” he said sweetly, before allowing the mop, bin-bags and bleach that he had levitated from the kitchen cupboard to drop to the floor between them. 

Chenle didn't stop beaming and Mark shivered at the icy chill of the boy’s satisfaction. 

**(d r e a m i n g)**

You’d think it would be easy, to keep others in line when you could hear their every thought and stop their every action. Many of the senior witches when he was growing up had praised him for his abilities and said he would be a perfect coven leader one day. Mark was sure he would have been too, had it not been for the practicalities of it all (see: reading peoples mind is a terrible invasion of privacy and controlling the actions of others is morally wrong). His family and fellow witches hadn’t seemed bothered by this but Mark knew he would never use his power like that, it wasn’t what he wanted. If he was going to lead his coven well, then he was going to do it on his own merit. 

His friends often did not make that easy. 

**(d r e a m i n g)**

“You’re frustrated?” Jeno asked, eyebrows raised to indicate that he was not asking wether it was true, rather cause of it. 

“I’s really not in the mood for this,” Mark sighed. He didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to talk about anything. To be perfectly honest, Mark just wanted to blip out of existence. 

“It’s because of Donghyuck?” he continued. Mark really hated the way Jeno would question people (him) like this, knowing perfectly well already that he was right. 

“No,” he said through gritted teeth. 

“Well, I don’t have to have the _Sight_ to know that that’s a lie.” 

“Just leave me alone,” Mark said, voice coloured with absolute hopelessness and devastation. “I’m wallowing.” 

“I see,” Jeno said, tone still as all-knowing as usual. He didn’t laugh at Mark’s misfortune though, rather appearing concerned, which was more than Mark could say for most of the people he associated with (that’s what he’s calling them now, he did not have friends, only acquaintances). “Well, I’ll be here if you need me, hyung,” Jeno nodded as he left. 

Mark barely caught the passing thought before he left. _It is my job after all…_

**(d r e a m i n g)**

“Jisung! Is that a fucking Lynx?” 

“Don’t curse at the child, you heathen,” Donghyuck chastised, smiling as he watched Jisung playing with the animal. He was luring the Lynx with a strip of ribbon which was getting shorter by the second as the cat’s claws tore shreds off it. Mark winced at the flash of of sharp fangs when it growled at Jisung for pulling the ribbon away once again. 

“Where did you even get it? How did you get it in the elevator?” Mark had more questions. He had an unending list of questions, actually. 

“I don’t know, she just showed up. Isn’t she cute?” Jisung cooed. He let the ribbon slip from his fingers the next time the Lynx caught it between his jaws and burst forward to wrap the animal in a hug. Logically, Mark knew that Jisung wouldn’t be in any danger but, his protective instincts were going wild and without realising the two were suddenly split apart by what looked like a violent wind. Jisung hissed in pain as his head smacked back against the wall heavily and the Lynx whimpered. 

“Oh god, I’m sorry. Are you okay?” Mark rushed to Jisung, tipping his head forward to see if there was any injury there. 

“Aish, It’s okay, hyung,” Jisung protested, pushing past Mark to check on his feline friend.  

Mark ended up feeling so guilty about the whole ordeal that Jisung got to keep the Lynx, naming her Blueberry when they discovered her obsession with the sweet fruit (Mark also did his best to ignore the articles about the local wildlife persevere looking for a missing lynx that showed up in the paper). 

**(d r e a m i n g)**

It was snowing outside and Chenle was bouncing with uncontainable excitement. 

“Alright kids, be safe,” Mark turned to the Chinese boy and desperately tried to maintain a stern expression. “And Chenle, no magic where others might see.” 

“Got it!” he yelled, holding up a ‘okay’ sign with his fingers and slipping out the door in a flash of wild, blonde hair. 

The others trailed after him and Mark looked at the ceiling and prayed to Soteria that nothing bad would happen. He had wanted to tell them that they had to stay in, since Mark had plans and wouldn’t be there to watch out for them. But, seeing the light in Chenle’s eyes when the snow had began to fall had quickly quashed that idea. 

When he looked toward the door, he saw Jeno hesitating there. The boy’s head was a mess of thoughts, clouded with worry and indecision so loud it made Mark dizzy. He tried desperately to block it out but he still caught some of the words. _You should tell him, this isn’t just anxiety. You know you’re right._

“What’s wrong?” Mark asked quickly, becoming concerned at the worried thoughts. 

“Oh, I…” Jeno looked a little like a deer in headlights. 

“I heard,” Mark clarified. 

“Yes, right,” he was flustered now. “I just have, well, I have this bad feeling that you shouldn’t leave and I know you said you’d be there but can't you just-“ Jeno cut himself off. He was rambling and he blushed, looking to the floor. 

It was then that Mark saw it, the flash of the memory in Jeno’s head. The screech of bus tires and the redness of blood, splattering the pavement. 

“Of course I’ll stay,” Mark said, stepping close to the clairvoyant and making sure their eyes could meet. “I’m not going anywhere,” he assured and Jeno’s eyes sparkled for a moment. 

“Thank you,” he whispered. Mark could hear all the endings to that sentence that Jeno couldn't say and he smiled. 

“Yah! Aren’t you coming?” Donghyuck was calling from down the hall and the tension in the room broke. Mark grinned and pushed the younger out the door before locking it behind them both. 

The others were waiting by the elevator and the seven of the piled in, squashed together with the involvement of their thick, winter coats. Jaemin had huffed and complained all the time he’d been layering up, saying that he was uncomfortable. He had been careful to quiet down whenever Mark shot him a look, eager to escape one of his infamous ‘Health above all else’ talks. 

“Thought you were meeting with the elders, hyung?” asked Jisung, whilst trying to ignore the squeaks of happiness coming from beside him as the elevator doors opened. Mark didn’t get a chance to respond before Chenle nearly knocked him over, barrelling past them all to get to the snow outside. Donghyuck laughed at the boys antics before following him and hollering just as loudly. Jaemin smirked before turning into something small and white, an artic fox, bounding off after them. Smiling, Jeno followed suit. 

Mark stood beside Renjun in the building’s entrance room, watching as the others rolled in the snow. Chenle was spinning snowballs round his head and hurling them at anyone who came close enough, not heeding Mark’s words about magic in the slightest. 

“You wanted to stay and look after us, right?” Renjun was looking at Mark with a smug expression. “You loooooooove us~” he teased, eyes narrowed into half-moons as he smiled. 

Mark looked between Renjun and the others, seeing Jisung enlist the help of a small flock of birds to protect him from Chenle’s flying snow and Donghyuck projecting body doubles to confuse his opponents. Jaemin was lost in a sea of white but Mark could hear the occasional excited yip that signified his presence. Maybe having to skip breakfast every now and again wasn’t the worst thing in the world. 

“Yeah, I do.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Eris: the greek god of chaos and disorder  
> Soteria: the greek goddess of safety and deliverance from harm 
> 
> in the case the ending is unclear, jeno had a dream that mark got into an accident if he went to the meeting and even though it might not have been true, mark stayed to make sure that jeno didn't have to worry. 
> 
> i can't believe i wrote something with no pairings and no sex wow this is what stanning the dreamies is...


End file.
